In a cemetery a little white stone marked the grave of a dear little girl, and on the stone were chiselled these words-“A child of who her is said, ‘It was easier to be good when she was with us'”-one of the most beautiful epitaphs ever heard of. [1]
Rev. John Henry Jowett once told of a little graveyard beside a church in a small village where the memory of a devoted soul, who had spent herself freely and untiringly in the service of that small community, is enshrined in a brief and touching epitaph, “She has done what she couldn’t.”
Eugene A. Hessel
Epitaph in a churchyard, inscribed by a husband after sixty years of wedded life: “She always made home happy.”
Some of the epitaphs found on tombstones are chosen by the person before they die. Others, like in the examples above, are written by others after the person dies. The best and true epitaphs are the words spoken about the person after they are gone.
What will people say about you? May they not say what the bibles says the people thought about Jehoram: “Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. No one was sorry when he died. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.” (2 Chronicles 21:20 NLT) [2]
By Dean W. Masters
homefurn@preferred.com
Unedited redistribution approved
– ——————————————————————————-
[1]Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : [a treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers]. Bible Communications: Garland TX
[2] Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997. Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill.